1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tile and ceramic saws. More specifically the present invention relates to liquid cooled table tile saws.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with water cooled saws for tiles and ceramics. None of these saws, however, are true table saws. There are primarily two shortcomings with the saws which cut tile. The first is that none of the saws are actually "table" saws, that allow large size tiles to be cut. The second is that prior art liquid cooled saws splash water on the operator and the surrounding environs.
Presently, few table saws exist which allow one to cut tile on a table saw in much the saw way as one cuts wood on a wood table saw. Most prior art tile saws have a slideable unit into which a tile is secured. The unit and tile are then slid into the blade. The major drawback to mounting units is that they cannot cut large tiles. Also, they are often cumbersome to use. Additionally, the sliding table bearings wear out and the devices become unsturdy. The reason a sliding table is used is that tile saws are water-cooled and covered blades with a sliding table retain water better than a flat saw table.
The second major drawback to prior art tile saws is that the water used to cool the saw blade is splashed off the saw table, getting the operator wet and necessitating clean up and possible repair of water damaged items. Because of the inability to obtain a tile saw which can cut tiles without creating a mess, tiles must be cut other than at the area at which they are being installed. Alternatively, a lengthy protection preparation or clean-up must be done. This adds considerably to the time required to lay tile. Also, the operator of the saw is adversely affected as a result of being hit by splashing water.
Referring to FIG. 1(a), U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,598, issued July 6, 1948, discloses a water cooled saw. The saw 2 has a mounting unit for securing tiles as they are cut. Additionally, the blade picks up water from a water reservoir located under the saw table. The water is channelled through a vertical guide 4 which curves around depositing the water picked up by the saw blade 6 on to the blade at its cutting point. In this prior art configuration 2, a tile cannot be cut past the water guide 4 without turning the tile around. Also, large tiles could not be cut because the vertical guide 4 would prevent the tile being pushed past the saw. The blade 6 is not covered, therefore water will be shot on to the operator, the walls, etc. There is no water control, therefore, the configuration 2 would quite possibly have too much water, i.e., the blade 6 passing through and exhuming excessive amounts of water.
An additional shortcoming of this prior art device is that the ball-bearings of the slidable mounting unit wear out. This destroys the accuracy of the saw in a few years. The accuracy of a sliding table has plagued the tile industry for years. Thus, most of the changes in tile saws have been in the sliding tables.
These sliding tables additionally have slots (8 of FIG. 1b) which are too large to make precision cuts in a small amount of tile without the tile falling through or the operator undergoing great difficulty in supporting the piece of tile desired to be cut.
Another notable aspect of prior art saws is that those with a table saw arrangement are bulky and heavy. These heavy saws make portability extremely difficult and decrease the environments in which the saw may be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,743,717, issued May 1, 1956, discloses a lapidary saw for cutting stone. A casing encloses much of the saw blade. A mounting unit is provided for mounting stones.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,462, issued Nov. 14, 1961, discloses a processing saw for cutting and processing rich ore stone material. The saw has a curve guard covering it. Guards are also provided for stopping rock and stone chips. The saw is water cooled.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,922, issued Sept. 17, 1963, discloses a rock cutting apparatus comprising a receptacle beneath the blade containing a cooling emulsion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,454, issued Feb. 23, 1965, discloses a tile and masonry saw comprising a tank positioned beneath the blade which contains coolant. No path is provided for delivering coolant to the blade where it cuts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,952, issued Mar. 28, 1978, discloses a lapidary saw wherein a rotary blade has its bottom portion continuously immersed in coolant contained within a reservoir. The coolant is discharged upon blade rotation.
Thus, the prior art has used a rotary blade to cut tile. Also, the prior art has attempted to use a liquid to cool the blade as it cuts. The prior art, however, has not attempted to cool the blade with a contained and controllable amount of liquid. Additionally, the prior art has not attempted to achieve the ultimate goal of producing a genuine table tile saw which is capable of cutting large tiles in one cut, with the added benefit of a contained, controllable liquid cooling system and a precision cutting surface. Furthermore, the prior art has not addressed portability in a tile saw.